Interdependence in Life

The trust and reliance on other crew members in rowing is paramount. In the training for the past two months in larger boats than the single scull, I have revisited the thought many times about how important in this sport, as in life, to have the assurance that there will be someone on the other end.

I want to apply a microcosm of the real world situation onto my rowing example. Such as in real [everyday] life, we come to rely on certain people to consistently behave and act in ways that move things forward. With rowing, I need my pair-partner to show up every day at the same time. And, not only show up, he has to be in a state to physically do work. And, not only show up and be physically able to do work, he has to pull on the oar with exactly the same force as me in unison every single stroke (~1800 strokes per workout). Now that is what I call dependence.


It is not just a loose affiliation with the rowing pair partner. It needs to be a strong physical connection with the same goal in mind. I would roughly apply it to the same bond as a business partnership with a reciprocal agreement. If one side of the parternship is not pulling his weight, quite literally, then the bond becomes weaker. I recently experienced what it is like, as I had a minor injury this past week and was not able to fully participate in the workouts. This means that every workout that I can't complete, neither can my pair partner. Also, as I was easing back into full intensity, I started with some slow paddles around the lake. Something resembling a Sunday scenic canoe day trip. This means that my pair partner, who is in perfect shape, needs to lollygag around the lake with me. This puts pressure on both of us.